Cooking machine



Sept. 20, 1949. M. P. SPARTALIS cooxme MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 4,. 1945 Sept. 20, 1949. v sPARTALls 2,482,601

COOKING MACHINE p -20,1949 M. P. SPARTAUS 2,482,601

cooxme MACHINE Filed July 4, 1945 3SheetsSheet 5 5&

fweiz 2b) Patented Sept. 20, 1949 UNITED. STATES 2,482,601 COOKING MACHINE Michael P. Spartalis,

St. Paul, Min essignor of two-fifths to Athena M. Spartalis, St. Paul, two-fifths to Constantine M. Rallis, Minneapolis, and one-fifth to Nick Chiomes, St. Paul,

Minn.

' Application July 4, 1945, Serial No. 603,173

' 17 Claims. (Cl. 9 9421) My present invention relates particularly to improvements in cooking machines of the general type disclosed and claimed in my prior Letters Patent of the United states No. 2,179,646, of November 14, 1939, and which type of machine involves a cooking chamber or oven containing rotary food conveying mechanism. .In the preferred embodiment of the invention herein illustrated, as in the machine illustrated in my said prior patent, the rotary food conveying mechanism comprises a rotary conveyor of generally circular form equipped with a circumferentiallyspaced series of planetary food holders that are rotated on their own axes while rotating about the axis of the circular conveyor. The machine herein illustrated, like the machine of my said prior patent, also preferably embodies an inner rotary food holder located within the circle described by the circumferentially-spaced series of food holders. While machines of the general character described were primarily designed for the barbecuing, baking, or roasting of meats, vegetables, and the like, it has been found that machines of the type disclosed herein and in my prior patent may also be very advantageously used in the baking of bread, cake, pastries, and the like. r

The machine of my prior patent has proven highly satisfactory for the-purpose set forth, but

has been found to be subject to the following 010- jections, to Wit:

a. The rotary food conveying mechanism of the machine illustrated in my prior patent and certain of its driving connections are'exposed to drippings from food "carried thereby, and this feature is objectionable because it necessitated frequent removal of the conveyor mechanism and certain of the driving connections for cleaning and servicing;

him the machine illustrated in my prior patent, juices from food articles carried by. the circumferentially-spaced food holders of the rotary annular conveyor and juices from a food article or articles carried by the inner food holder,

located within the circle described by the said circumierentially-spaced series of food holders, were mixed and directed to a common receptacle. This mixing of the juices is particularly objectionable when foods of difierent kinds are carried. by the outer and inner food holders respectively. For example, if a number of chickens are mountedon the circumferentially-spaced series of outer food holders and a ham is mounted on the inner food holder for simultaneous cooking,

it would be desirable to maintain a separation oi '2 and collect in different vessels or receptacles the juices from the chickens and ham respectively, so that the juices from the chickens could be served with chicken orders and so that the juices from the ham could be served with ham orders, if desired. However, no, means for accomplishing such separation 'of juices was present in the machine of my prior patent; and

c. The circular or annular conveyor mechanism of the machine of my prior patent was removable from the machine inseveral parts requiring individual handling and reassembly. This was objectionable, first, because of the difficulty in handling a number of .parts during removal and washing, and, secondllh because of the difliculty encountered by inexperienced. persons in properly reassembling the conveyor mechanism.

Generally speaking, it therefore, an object of my present invention to overcome the above noted and other objectionable features of the machine of my priorPatent No. 2,179,646. To these ends, my present invention provides an improved conveyor mechanism for thecircumferentially-spaced series of outer food holders in which the main parts of the conveyor mechanism proper are'removable and replaceable as a unit that may be readily cleaned without disassembl'y. The conveyor mechanism is protected against drippings from the food carried thereby, and juices dripping from food on the circumferentiallyspaced series of outer food holders and juices dripping from the food article or articles carried by the inner food holder are maintained separate and are collected in separate receptacles or containers,

. so that each is uncontaminated by the other. In

the preferred embodiment of the invention, herein illustrated, these and other important objectives have been accomplished in a machine wherein the circular or annular conveyor mechanism is of the planetary type. 7

' The above and other important objects and advantages of the invention, and which incl de improved driving connections for the conveyor mechanism, will be made clear from the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig.1 is a view of a cooking machine involving a preferred embodiment of the invention, and showing-the samein vertical axial section, with some parts broken away and some parts on the section line shown in full; 7

Fig. 2 is a transverse horizontal sectional view Ltalsen o th l e, 34M Fi .1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view in top elevation, with some parts broken away, of the annular conveyor mechanism and part of its driving linkage;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3, of the annular conveyor mechanism, with some parts broken away and some parts shown in section;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view of part of the driving connections for the annular and central food conveyors and holders;

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged view in side elevation of a modified form of food holder for use in the annular conveyor; and

Fig. 9 is a sectional 9-9 of Fig. 8.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the oven or cooking chamber I is defined by a casing having a top H, side walls l2, and a generally downwardly and inwardly inclined bottom. The bottom of the cooking chamber is composed of a downwardly and inwardly declined basinforming outer portion l3 and a removable inner basin-forming portion l4. These bottom portions 13 and I4 may hereinafter also be referred to as outer and inner collecting portions respectively. In the form illustrated, the casing has eight sides I 2.. Four of these sides I 2 are provided with glazed doors l permitting free access to the interior of the oven or cooking chamber, and also allowing continuous inspection or viewing of the contents during the cooking or heattreating operation. The top H and walls I2 are preferably insulated as shown at Hi. The interior of the casing may be illuminated by a suitable lamp !1 in a directing reflector 18 (see Fig. 1).

In the preferred arrangement illustrated, four heating units l9 are symmetrically mounted on the four unglazed walls l2 of the cooking chamber. These heating Lmits l9 are preferably of the radiant gas-burning type shown more fully in my prior Patent No. 2,179,646, and comprise suitable gas burners mounted behind a grill-work of refractory material. The gas burners, not shown, are supplied with gas from a suitable source, not shown, through a supply pipe 20, a control valve 2|, and branch pipe lines 22. In this manner, gas supplied to the four burners of the heat units [9 is controlled by a common valve 2! having a dial-equipped operating shaft 23 extending to the exterior of the casing.

The food conveying and supporting mechanism, hereinafter to be described in detail, is driven by a suitable power unit in the nature of an electric motor 24 mounted in the casing below the bottomforming elements is and H of the oven and on the extreme bottom 25 of thecasing. This motor 24 carries'a gear case 26 which contains a pair of bevelled gears 21 and 28, the former of which may be assumed to be driven from the motor shaft, not shown, through speed-reducing gearing, not shown. The gear case 26 may be assumed to contain a suitable supply of lubricant. The bevelled gear 28 is mounted on and drives a vertical drive shaft 29 that is concentrically disposed within the casing and makes bearing in the top and bottom portions respectively of the gear case 26. This vertical drive shaft 29 extends upwardly through the center of the inner collecting element 14 of the oven bottom (see particularly Fig. 1). Loosely telescoped over the upper end porview taken on the line tion of the drive shaft 29 is a removable driving hub 39 equipped with a plurality of radius arms 35. The hub 39 is driven from the shaft 29 through a driving pin 32 in the shaft 29, and which is received in slots 33 in the hub. In fact, the hub seats'uponthe opposite ends of the pin 32. It will be understood that the hub 39 is upwardly displaceable from the drive shaft 29.

In the preferred arrangement illustrated, the central drive shaft 29 is provided above the hub 38 with a shaft extension 34 that is internally bored and loosely telescoped thereover, whereby to be readily removable therefrom. Also, in the preferred arrangement illustrated, the shaft extension 34 is equipped with an upwardly-extending inner or central food holder 35 in the nature of a skewer.- This skewer 35 is removably seated in an upper bore of the shaft extension 34 and is provided above the extension 34 with an outwardly-projecting cave-acting flange 36 for directing juices outwardly and away from the shaft extension 34.

The free outer. ends of the radius arms 3| engage suitable driving pins or abutments 31 on the inner ring 33 of the annular, planetary conveyor mechanism which concentrically surrounds the drive shaft extension 34. This planetary conveyor mechanism comprises the said inner ring 38, which servesas a drive ring, an internally-channeled outer ring 39 forming a race, an annular conveyor 40, and a circumferentially-spaced series of roller elements 4| journalled in the conveyor 43 and running between the drive ring 38 and race 39. In the form shown, the annular or circular conveyor 40 is made up of upper and lower rings 42 and 43 respectively connected by screws 44 and spacers 45. The roller elements 4| .are provided with upper and lower bearing bosses journalled respectively in the upper and lower conveyor rings 42 and 43. By reference particularly to. Fig. 5, it will be seen that the roller elements 4! are axially bored to each receive one of a circumferentially-spaced series of outer planetary food holders, which may take the form of skewers 46. Also by reference particularly to Fig. 5,'it will be seen that the internal channel of the outer ring or race 39 is preferably conical or v-shaped in cross section, and that the roller elements M are provided with upper and lower conical surfaces 41 and 48 respectively for engagementwith the upper and lower conical surfaces respectively of the race channel. By still further reference to Fig. 5, it will be seen that in the preferred arrangement, the roller elements are intermediately formed to provide V-shaped peripheral channels 49 therein for reception of the approximately V-shaped periphery of the drive ring 38. To facilitate original assembly of the annular conveyor unit or mechanism, the race 39 is composed of upper and lower sections connected by rivets, or the like 50 and having a spacer ring inserted therebetwee Before going further, it should be made clear that when the motor 24 isoperated, the vertical drive shaft 29 will be rotated through the speedreducing gearing and bevelled gears '21 and 28; andthe radius arm-equipped hub 39, the shaft extension 34, and the inner 'or central food holder 35 will be driven from the shaft 29 at the speed thereof. The drive ring 38 will be driven from the radius arms 3| at driveshaft speed, which will cause the roller elements 4! to travel about the race 39, and the said roller elements 4| will carry the conveyor ring .49 and .food holders 4%? therewith. In this mannr, the circumferentiallyveyers is er e equivareht food so ders.

seeea sefies er rose h'l'dfs as will emalre er planetary emu steer weeds; will travel asset are sets seareasis wsseberng a as their ewe a s es; er the ruler eres fits 4| and mastery rose sewers as win'trsv rebset the drive start sens at reeueee withreis the sseeq o'ffi'taioh er the erase Hart. will; at be elear a es issuer-1 6f the d "'w'i'h'gs that the statmaery race is eehterias aha less '52 abstahfiiee i'f'dfn the bettom or the seeking enember, and is Vltica ly disslaseame teererrwre a unit when the reams arseeqsiesee fies -30 is relieves.

or the as er and the sleek '6? use substitute 'reoa homer ta "'sro eetrag e'riig' a are srgviqea wit rear y sfii'rjt-fike fi'ariges 'e for Hire-curls J11- v roea arjpsifies outwards rr'eln messed ppiaer shse se eamless tattle sense seer the slg e'wer o'r reed holder es; lffi tee prererres the tray 'or sets 551s su erimsbsea we; aim Carr a by'the ashula? 4f ans sprained with aiier uses tar ea er the erases ofthe planetary This way or pan 551s ease eestrany agejrturea to eeire the uses shaft eite'sioh at. It will be grass that use less em-er flanges es and sssireer jul's steer reed urrsp mgs away from tree tray aperturesjust mentioned. The tray er a seamless, am; is srerrded with so est-freshness reeesses er ensimels st 51 a essesatesiee's er the eireumrerestlsuyspeeea sefies r plal'le "tary 'r'eea halaers P5 with a en's-eerie ifiihirlar recess or ch nnel 5} immediately su-r Hhlifig the bntr'al rbtay rate wa er 55 and its 'slipfaort- The js lra'ft sets on 34. Vfith t rise-e meet, it will be obvious fiery ester sessile-s @s hem fe'oii carries sy the rec-d homers as ten be as sea srwmeauiees collected ii t aha ether er pp A I erefrroed fielder 135 wiltoe eelleeted in the ifmer see J3 are goyaeee gi idepefnaedt areas-see 567, 511, see es r'speeuvem en er skies are raeralry s fiafl the assures sew teyer meehanisfn and eentm duties 'cnneee- I a ban 62 that is rer'z'idvably seated user; the radius ems s1 is eemmny apertured to receive the shaft e'x'te'nslor'l 34, she is provided surrounding said eserture with ah ia estanu lhg mama-r curt-like haaaee 15's. The ie'iees "olleeteil-ih this 62 were through a sp'ouhequip peu araiaa e ap'erwere mtherem tethemnee basin-farming parties is er tfi bott'ofll-of t'zooklflgehairi er, wlrereis they'ere eireetee trlroeeheseeut-eev redetermage aeerture F4" to e some is; receptacle "es. The basin-forming portitirll'fi of the bottom of that ye-lees or e eraripeiaes rase leery esteem rouse cooking 7 From the above, it will be erear that the anrru= lar coiiyeybr'meehanism afi'd central driving com-= neetiens will be maintained free of juices and other 'drifiiiings from the food articles carried both by the central food holder 35 and by the planetary eater ided Holders 46, 53; or their equivtalents; thereby greatly decreasing the necessary frefiueny of cleaning and the problem of -servi-e= lfig and-mal-ntaihing the conveyor meehanisln arid errve eonnebtlohs; that the annular onvey'or mechaffism, its food holders; vand the inner food holder are all very readily removable; that the annular cohveyer mechanism is removable, replaceable; and may be washed or clearled as a unit; and that the juices falling from foods carnee by the planetary outer fobd holelers and. the juices fromfoods ear-Tied by the inner food holder will be maintained separate and separately e01 leeted. GthefW-is; lrowever the operation at the maehine will be substantially identical to 'th'e ma ehine illustrated in my prior Patent Ne; 2,179,663. '0! some it wen be ufiderst'ood that the Juice retrptaeles i0 and. are ihdepen'dently removable item the casing. The motor 24 may, of course, be operated from anysuitable source of potential, and will preferably be under control of a switch S.

*As indicated; the article holders 53 may be used as substitutes for'the skewer type of article holders 4E. The skewer type of article holders 4B and 35 are; bf eourse, primarily intended for use in supporting meat cuts, fowl, vegetables, and the like, into the bodies of which-they may be hrl 'sertedz The m'od ifieelartiele Holders 53 are, oh

eooked in the machine described. The article holders 5; each comprise a shank 61", the upper e'firlof whichls rigidly axiohored to a disc-like elemht 88 Extend me upwardly from diametrically epp'osite .portiohs of the element 68 are risers 69 @arrymg segmental shelf-elements H1 and beiirg connected at the top by a dise=like element 11. 'I he see -mental shelf elements H! are adapted to "directly engage and support the edges "of pie tins a l-rel the like er suitable 'elismll'ke shelves, not shbwn; whieh other receptacles may be to plated. 7

, siseesee as The planetary ebnveyer meehanism disclosed (AttlI-I'fcl. 'i-r'l "m'y comm-ding application ib'y meoh November 1-2; 1 346, under Serial No. 769,273; afrel mien-cation was mes as a drvrsieh at this 'afiiflicatlen;

whetrelaams z l a *aeviee er the crass described, a, easin I iiirifiid-iiag 'a waking chasm-er heatihg me'afis for tee 'Cofifi'g erlemeer, the bottom of said booking befiig re-erre so 'sroyrde concent-ribally portio s, an rmaer feedhfi'loher eoncentrically disqfiiseein'the eobling chamber above the saia'in'ner Y "is see eeswysr ee'seessrmsuyeiseosee msheeoeking chamber above said outer collecting portion and about said inner food holder. 7

2. The structure defined in claim 1, in which the bottom of the cooking chamber is provided with independent drainage apertures from the said inner and outer collectingportions thereof.

3. The structure defined in claim 1-, in, which the bottom of the cooking chamber is provided withindependent drain-age apertures from the said inner and outer collecting portions thereof, and in further combination with independent collect-ing vessels below the bottom, of the cooking chamber, one of said vessels being disposed to receive juices from the inner of said collecting portions and the other thereof being disposed to receive juices from'the outer of said collectin portions.

4. In a device of the class described; a casin providing a cooking chamber, heating means for the cooking chamber, :the bottom of said cooking chamber being formed to provide concentrically disposed inner and outer dished juice-collecting portions, a power-driven rotary food holder concentrically disposed in the cooking chamber above the inner collecting surface, an annular conveyor disposed concentricall of the cooking chamber above the outer collecting surface and about said rotary inner food holder, acircumferentiallyspaced series of outer food holders journalled on said annular conveyor, means for driving :the annular conveyor, and means rotating said outer food holders on their own axes under rotation of the annular conveyor.

5, The structure defined in claim 4, in which the bottom of thecooking chamber is provided with independent drainage openings from the said inner and outer collecting portions thereof.

6. The structure defined in claim 4, in which the bottom of the cooking chamber is provided with independent drainage openings from the said inner and outer collecting portions thereof, and in further combination with independent collecting vessels below the bottom of the cooking chamber, one of said vessels being disposed to receive juices from the inner of said collecting portions and the other thereof being disposed to receive juices from the outer of said collecting portions.

'7. In a device of the class described, a casing providing a cooking chamber, heating means for the cooking chamber, the bottom of said cooking chamber being formed to provide concentrically disposed inner and outer dished juice-collecting portions, an inner food holder concentrically disposed in the cooking chamber above said inner collecting portion, an annular outer food holder and conveyor concentrically disposed in the cooking chamber above the outer collecting portion and about said inner food holder, said inner and outer collecting portions of the bottom of the cooking chamber being provided with independent drainage apertures, and a tray disposed adjacent the bottom of the cooking chamber above the said annular conveyor and serving as a false bottom of the cooking chamber, said tray having concentric inner and outer collecting recesses, the inner of said collecting recesses being provided with a drainage aperture draining into the inner collecting portion of the bottom of the cooking chamber and the outer collecting recess of the tray being provided with a drainage aperture draining into the outer collecting portion of the bottom of the cooking chamber.

8. The structure defined in claim '7 in further combination with independent collecting vessels below the bottom of the cooking chamber and positioned one to receive juices .from a drainage aperture in the inner collecting portion of the bottom of the cooking chamber and the other to receive juices from the outer collecting portion of the bottom of the cooking chamber;

9. The structure defined in claim '7 in further combination with a centrally located collecting basin interposed between the tray and the inner collecting portion of the bottom of the cooking chamber to receive juices directly from th inner collecting recess of the tray and having a drainage aperture above the inner collecting portion of the cooking chamber bottom.

10. In a device of the class described, a casing providing a cookingchamber, heatingmeans adjacent the sides of the cooking chamber, the bottom of said cooking chamber being formed to provide a juice-collecting basin, a rotary conveyor located above the basin-forming bottom of the cooking chamber, a juice-collecting pan disposed over and carried by the rotary conveyor and having a drainage aperture over the basinforming portion of the bottom of the cooking chamber and in radially ofiset relation to the .tray apertures for directing juices away from said apertures. I

11. The structure defined in claim 10 which further includes a juice receptacle located below the basin-forming bottom of the cooking chamber, and in which the said basin-forming bottom is provided with a drainage aperture above said receptacle.

12. In a device of the class described, a casing providing a cooking chamber, heating means adjacent the sides of the cooking chamber, a powerdriven rotary shaft extending upwardly through the bottom of the cooking chamber at the axis thereof, an inner rotary food holder mounted on said shaft, an annular rotary conveyor concentrically disposed within the cooking chamber and surrounding said shaft, a circumferentiallyspaced plurality of planetary outer food holders carried by and projecting upwardly from said rotary conveyor, connections for driving the rotary conveyor from said power-driven shaft, means for rotating the planetary food holders on their own axes upon rotation of the annular conveyor, and a false bottom for the cooking chamber carried by said conveyor and havin apertures therein through which the planetary outer food holders extend, said planetary food holders being upwardly displaceable from the conveyor through said apertures, said false bottom being formed to provide an inner annular channel for receiving juices directly from food supported by the rotary inner food holder and being formed with an outer annular channel for receiving juices from food supported by the planetary food holders, said false bottom being provided with independent drainage apertures from the inner and outer channels thereof, the bottom of the cooking chamber below the annular conveyor being formed to provide a substantially annular inner juice-receiving channel immediately surrounding the power-driven central shaft and below the inner channel of the false bottom and being formed with an outer juice-receiving channel of substantially annular shape below the-outer chan nel of the false bottom.

13. The structure defined in claim 12 in further combination with an annular pan interposed between the bottom of the cooking chamber and the said false bottom thereof and disposed to receive juices directly from the drainage aperture of the inner channel of said false bottom, said pan being provided with a drainage aperture above the inner channel of the bottom of the cooking chamber.

14. The structure defined in claim 12, in which the said inner and outer channels of the bottom of the cooking chamber are provided with independent drainage apertures.

15. In a device of the class described, a casing providing a cooking chamber, heating means for the cooking chamber, an inner food holder approximately concentrically disposed in the cooking chamber, a rotary outer food holder disposed in the cooking chamber in radially outwardlyspaced relation to the said inner food holder, means driving the outer food holder about the axis of the inner food holder, and concentric inner and outer juice-collecting casing portions respectively underlying the said inner and outer food holders.

16. The structure defined in claim 15 in which said juice-collecting casing portions are provided with independent drainage apertures.

1'7. 'The structure defined in claim 15 in which said juice-collecting casing portions are provided with independent drainage apertures, and in further combination with independent collecting vessels each orientated and-arranged to receive juices from the aperture of a different juice-collecting casing portion.

MICHAEL P. SPARTALIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 20 1,862,485 McEwan June 7, 1932 2,040,016 Sanders May 5, 1936 2,179,646 Spartalis Nov. 14, 1939 

